PROCESS OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN GROUPS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF LANGUAGE BACKGROUND
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24919/2313-2094.5/37.102613Keywords:
змішана група, диференційоване навчання, стратегії викладання, непрофільна дисципліна, різнорівневий підхідAbstract
Teaching English as a second language (minor in English) in a group of academically diverse learners has become the biggest challenge for teachers at higher education. To tackle the problem of how to teach more effectively in a mixed class a suitable ELT methodology needs to be developed.
This article attempts 1) to identify some of the problems faced by the ESL/EFL teachers at in multi-level classes by means of collecting and analyzing data; 2) to suggest some adaptable strategies to minimize the problems of teaching English in mixed-ability classes.
Personal working experience as an English teacher in a group with varying levels of English from pure beginner to upper-intermediate states that it can be difficult to keep the attention of all students. A mixed class can seem uncooperative, the students can get bored easily and/or show ill-disciplined behaviour for a variety of reasons and this can cause commotion in the classroom. Planning the lesson and making relevant, meaningful work-material to fit studentsʼ needs in terms of levels and interests can be time consuming. This can make the teacher feel frustrated and unable to cope with the class.
Most literature which has been written about mixed classes stressed the importance of differentiation. Differentiation is defined as the process which provides each student in a group with multiple avenues to learning from his current «learning position».
The article highlights some differentiated instruction strategies that ESL/EFL teachers can successfully integrate in their mixed classes and facilitate the development of necessary skills. They are:
- adapt to the environment of multi-level class;
- evaluate and adjust the materials according to the class;
- divide the class into groups according to similar/dissimilar learning styles;
- assign different tasks (sets of worksheets or exercises) that are appropriate to the level of each group;
- give clear and precise instructions and present them in easy, manageable ways;
- accelerate or decelerate the pace that students move through curriculum;
- conduct assessments according to how well they have mastered curriculum content and how proficient they are in the skills that are required (assess studentʼs personalized outcome);
- correct all students according to their level, do not interrupt them when they talk and be more demanding with stronger students;
- differentiate the homework, making it more personally relevant for each child in the classroom.
It is suggested that applying effective methods of differentiation can help the teacher successfully address the aforementioned challenges and provide a meaningful, interactive activity that helps develop basic communication skills, necessary to the success of English language learners.
References
Vanivska O. Shliakhy pidvyshchennia rivnia vyvchennia inozemnykh mov u tekhnichnomu vyshchomu navchalnomu zakladi (Ways of improving learning foreign languages in a technical high school), Liudynoznavchi studii: zbirnyk naukovykh prats Drohobytskoho derzhavnoho pedahohichnoho universytetu imeni Ivana Franka, Drohobych: Vydavnychyi viddil DDPU imeni Ivana Franka, 2014, Vypusk 29, Chastyna 2. Pedahohika, pp. 31–40. [in Ukrainian]
Horina O.M. Sutnist ta pryntsypy dyferentsiiovanoho pidkhodu v navchanni studentiv (The essence and principles of differentiated approach to teaching students), Vyshcha shkola, 2007, № 5, pp. 55–63. [in Ukrainian]
Dariichuk L.P. Psykholoho-pedahohichni aspekty orhanizatsii dyferentsiiovanoho navchannia studentiv-nefilolohiv u protsesi navchannia inozemnoi movy (Psychological and pedagogical aspects of differentiated instruction non-philologists students in learning foreign languages), Visnyk Kyivskoho natsionalnoho universytetu im. T.H. Shevchenka. Ser. «Sotsiolohiia. Psykholohiia. Pedahohika», 2001, Vyp. 11, pp. 69–72. [in Ukrainian]
Kolisnyk V.Yu. Metodychni vkazivky iz zastosuvannia osobystisno oriientovanoho navchannia inozemnoi movy za profesiinym spriamuvanniam na osnovi tekhnolohii riznorivnevoho pidkhodu (Guidance on the application personally oriented learning a foreign language for professional purposes-based multilevel approach), Cherkasy: ChNU imeni Bohdana Khmelnytskoho, 2015, 32 p. [in Ukrainian]
Pavlovska Yu.V. Osoblyvosti orhanizatsii zaniattia z anhliiskoi movy u riznorivnevykh hrupakh studentiv nemovnykh spetsialnostei (Peculiarities of English classes in groups of different levels of students of non-linguistic specialties), Naukovi zapysky (Seriia «Pedahohichni ta istorychni nauky»), 2012, Vyp. CII (102), pp. 163–169. [in Ukrainian]
Poberezhna N. Formuvannia inshomovnoi komunikatyvnoi kompetentsii studentiv nefilolohichnykh spetsialnostei (Formation foreign communicative competence of students of non-philological specialties), Liudynoznavchi studii: zbirnyk naukovykh prats Drohobytskoho derzhavnoho pedahohichnoho universytetu imeni Ivana Franka, Drohobych: Vydavnychyi viddil DDPU imeni Ivana Franka, 2014, Vypusk 29, Chastyna 3. Pedahohika, pp. 148–158. [in Ukrainian]
Sikorskyi P.I. Teoriia i metodyka dyferentsiiovanoho navchannia: monohrafiia (Theory and methods of differentiated instruction: monograph), Lviv: V-vo «SPOLOM», 2000, 186 p. [in Ukrainian]
Sherstiuk L.V. Realizatsiia tekhnolohii kompleksnoi dyferentsiatsii navchannia inozemnykh mov studentiv nefilolohichnykh spetsialnostei vyshchykh navchalnykh zakladiv: [metodychni rekomendatsii] (Implementation of the integrated technology differentiation of teaching foreign languages non-philological students of higher education institutions), Mykolaiv: Vyd-vo ChDU im. Petra Mohyly, 2010, Vyp. 153, 48 p. [in Ukrainian]
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2017 Human Studies: Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University. Series of “Pedagogy”
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Editorial policy and ethics of the scholarly journal Human Studies. Series of Pedagogy is grounded on the recommendations of Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE), best practice of Ukrainian and international academic societies, institutions and editorial boards of scientific periodicals, and also on the Ethic Standards of Ukrainian Scientists. Scientists should be confident of reliability and soundness of their own researches and their colleagues’, as well. Unfortunately, this situation has not been flawless recently, as now and then one can face the ethics violations, which in an undermining factor for people’ trust to science and those of the academic world. To prevent such a situation in Ukraine, every researcher should be wholly concern to follow the ethic requirements and be fully aware of the public opinion forming he is responsible for.
Ethical Obligations of Authors
- An author presents a concise and accurate report of the research and an objective discussion of its significance. A primary research report should contain sufficient and clear detail and its findings should be amenable to verification by peers with no data distortion or manipulation.
- An author bears responsibility for the scientific content as well as the fact of publication.
- An author should cite those publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work and that will guide the reader quickly to the earlier work that is essential for understanding the present investigation. It is necessary that the fundamental sources used in this research, if not obtained by an author, should be properly cited.
- It is not acceptable to represent plagiarism as original work for publication or previously published articles. An Author should bear responsibility, should this be disclosed.
- Those who have contributed significantly to the research and share the responsibility for obtained results should be listed as co-authors. On submission of the manuscript, the corresponding author attests to the fact that those named as co-authors have agreed to its submission for publication and accepts the responsibility for having properly included all (and only) co-authors.
- An author should reveal to the editor any potential conflict of interest that might be affected by publication of the results contained in a manuscript.
- An author should identify the source of all information quoted or offered, all references to the sources used in the research should be provided in accordance with APA.
- The editorial board reserves the right to reject the manuscript that does not meet the set standards.
Publication Agreement and Copyright License
This is a publication agreement and copyright license (“Agreement”) regarding a written or contribution to the manuscript currently entitled ________________________________________________________________
The parties to this Agreement are: _____________________________________ (individually, or if more than one author, collectively, “Author”)
and Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University, publisher and copyright owner of the Human Studies. Series of Pedagogy in the person of Rector Mrs. Skotna N.V. (“Publisher”).
1. LICENSE OF COPYRIGHT
a) Author grants to the Publisher a royalty-free, worldwide, non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, display, distribute, and use the Work in any form and in any media, in whole or in part, either separately or as part of a collective work, including but not limited to a nonexclusive license to publish the Work in an issue of the Publication, copy and distribute individual reprints of the Work, authorize reproduction of the entire Work in another publication, and authorize reproduction and distribution of the Work or an abstract thereof by the means of computerizes retrieval system. The Author retains ownership of all rights under copyright in the Work (or portion of the written by the Author), and all rights not expressly granted in this Agreement.
b) The Author grants to the Publisher the power to assign, sublicense, or otherwise transfer any and all licenses expressly granted to the Publisher under this Agreement.
c) Republication. The Author agrees to require that the Publisher be given credit as the original publisher in any republication of the World authorizes by the Author. If the Publisher authorizes any other party to republish the Work under the terms of paragraphs 1a and 1b of this Agreement, the Publisher shall require such party to ensure that the Author is credited as the Author.
2. EDITING OF THE WORK
The Author agrees that the Publisher may edit the Work as suitable for inclusion in the Publication. To the extent that the Publisher’s edits amount to copyrightable works of authorship, the Publisher hereby assigns all right, title, and interest in such edits to the Author. The Publisher agrees to publish the Work subject to the understanding that the Work will not be published in the Publication unless, in its final form, the Work is acceptable to both the Author and the Publisher.
3. WARRANTIES
a)The Author represents and warrants that, to the best of the Author’s knowledge, the Work does not defame any person, does not invade the privacy of any person, and does not in any other manner infringe upon the rights of any person. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Publisher against all such claims.
b) The Author represents and warrants that the Author has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to grant the licenses granted in this Agreement.
c)The Author represents and warrants that the Work furnished to the Publisher has not been published previously.
4. TERM
This Agreement shall remain in effect for as long as copyright protection subsists in the Work as defined by the copyright laws of each country in the World.
5.PAYMENT
The Author agrees and acknowledges that the Author will receive no payment from the Publisher for use of the Work or the licenses granted in this Agreement, unless separately negotiated in writing. The Publisher will publish the Work and will provide the Author with print copy of the bound Publication in which the Work appears as per its normal policy. The Author will have the opportunity to order additional reprints at the Author’s expense before the Publication containing the Work goes to press.
6. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
a. This Agreement supersedes any and all other agreements, either oral or in writing, between the Author and the Publisher with respect to the subject of this Agreement. This Agreement contains all of the warranties and agreements between the parties with respect to the Work, and each party acknowledges that no representations, inducements, promises, or agreements have been made by or on behalf of any party expect those warranties and agreements embodied in this Agreement.
Author(s):___________ Publisher: Skotna N.V.,
Signed:_____________ Drohobych Ivan Franko
Date:_______________ State Pedagogical University
Signed:_____________________
Date:_______________________
